INDONESIA OVERVIEW
The Nickel Frontier
Indonesia is the global epicenter of nickel extraction, powering the world's green energy transition. But this rapid expansion is carving deep into some of the world's most biodiverse tropical forests.
SULAWESI
The Epicenter
Sulawesi bears the brunt of Indonesia’s nickel-driven industrialization. Vast industrial parks and open-pit mines now spread across its coastlines and rainforests, placing mounting pressure on marine ecosystems, forest landscapes, coastal communities, and Indigenous territories. As mining concessions expand, forests, fisheries, and customary lands face growing risks from land clearing, pollution, and industrial encroachment.
MALUKU / HALMAHERA
Nickel Expansion and the Threat to Halmahera’s Rainforests
In North Maluku, the Weda Bay Industrial Park has expanded at a rapid pace, accelerating the growth of nickel mining across Halmahera. Once-pristine rainforests are being cleared to make way for open-pit mines, roads, and massive smelter complexes, fragmenting forest landscapes that are vital to biodiversity and local livelihoods. This expanding industrial footprint places growing pressure on the O’Hongana Manyawa people, including uncontacted groups whose ancestral forests are increasingly threatened by land clearing, pollution, and encroachment.
PAPUA
The Next Frontier
As reserves deplete elsewhere, the extractive gaze turns toward Papua. The world's third-largest rainforest area is now highly vulnerable to future mining expansion and ecological collapse.
The energy transition Should Not Cost Ecological Collapse
The transition to electric vehicles must be just. We cannot sacrifice the lungs of the earth to save the atmosphere. Explore the data, understand the impact, and demand sustainable supply chains.
Explore The Data